RURAL GREENINGWomen lead the way in eco-conservation
Women in the Sunderbans region of West Bengal are setting a trend in climate change mitigation through projects under the "Common Property
Resource" initiative, and carving new frontiers in livelihood security in the process.
Ajitha Menon
reports.

Lone crusader warns school-goers against substance abuse
Moved by a personal tragedy, young Bengali engineer-turned-actor Bobby Chakraborty has launched a singular campaign to educate schoolchildren
about the impact of alcohol and other addiction and deter them from the path.
Shoma A Chatterji
brings us his story.

Death knell for music?
The recent closure of a landmark music store in the heart of Calcutta is symptomatic of the larger malaise afflicting the music industry.
Shoma A Chatterji
reports from a gathering of local luminaries to protest the rising menace of piracy in music.

Female and fearful In Mamatas BengalCharacter assassination, social and economic ostracisation and even assault, seem to have become the standard responses to all who protest against the culture of violence against women in West Bengal.
Shikha Mukerjee
reports on the ground realities in the state.

Shielding campuses from violenceViolence during college union elections, the death of a protesting 22-year-old student in police custody and a resultant chain of events have led to earnest debates in West Bengal over whether students should stay away from active politics.
Promona Sengupta
explores the reality underlying prevailing sentiments.

Industrial Tribunal verdict raises hope
Eleven years after journalist Rina Mukherjee was fired following her allegations of sexual harassment
against a senior, the West Bengal Industrial Tribunal passes an order against The Statesman, offering hope of redress for other victims.
Navya P K
reports.

Setting the stage on fire
A recent fire at one of Kolkata's major film studios puts the spotlight on the poor condition of these establishments, and the risks
faced by the film industry in many buildings.
Shoma Chatterji
reports.

Children impacted by forced evictions
Motivated by the media attention in Nandigram, six volunteers of Child Rights and You decided to examine how the urban poor are faring
against State-sponsored eviction.
Shoma Chatterji
reports.

Trapped from all sides
Young women and girls in red light areas face extreme levels of desperation, stemming partly from poverty, but also because
of sheer physical exploitation, even by husbands and fathers.
Ruchi Choudhary
reports.

Revisiting the Baul movementMoner Manush is contemporary and topical as it talks of peace, harmony and religious tolerance at a time when India
is ridden by fundamentalism and intolerance in different pockets.
Shoma Chatterji
reviews the film.

The fading beat of the dhaki
Despite its grim story, Divine Drums is a wonderful film that explores a performing art we know
little about, and also a human interest story about the performers' lives, writes
Shoma Chatterji.